Former California Secretary of State Bill Jones just released a statement (see below) letting people know he will NOT be running for the 19th Congressional District seat currently occupied by Republican George Radanovich, who will retire at the end of this term.

Who does this help? Some will say that former Fresno Mayer Jerry Patterson is the winner because Jones would have split the vote from the Fresno end of the district. Another valid analysis would be that if Jones were in, both he and Senator Denham were so supportive of John McCain’s Presidential bid (very early) that they might have split up some supporters.

Anyways, here’s Jones’ statement:

It has been an honor to have served the people of California over the last 20+ years. During that time my highest priority has been to deliver on the reforms needed for our state in a way that reflects honor and integrity… Read More

Below is a lengthier statement that I just received from FR friend State Senator Bob Dutton in response to the Governor’s State Of The State Address…

Here’s some "instant, lightning round" response to some of the statements of the Governor in his State of the State Address. Excerpts from the Governor’s speech are in quotes, and boldface. My comments follow each quote… "The Schwarzenegger household is something of a menagerie."

No doubt.

"Just last night the Assembly passed major educational reform, reform that once seemed impossible, but now will become law as soon as it hits my desk." Some good reforms. Governor should have noted that it should not have taken federal incentives dangled from 3,000 miles away to get them, and that the federal government should not be crafting state-level policy with payoffs.

"And now we must work to pass the 11 billion dollars in water bonds that will be on the ballot in November." This package… Read More

I just got off of a brief appearance on KQED’s California Report coverage of the State of the State Address. I followed Senate President Darrell Steinberg. Here’s what I had to say… (I’m being interview by KQED’s Capitol man in the building, the irrepressible John Myers… I also talk briefly about the Anthony Adams retirement.

… Read More

Text of Arnold Schwarzenegger’s State of the State Speech Prepared text of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s State of the State address:

I want to begin with a true story from which we can draw a worthwhile lesson.

As you might guess, the Schwarzenegger household is something of a menagerie.

An Austrian bodybuilder, a TV journalist, four children, a dog, the normal goldfish and hamsters and so forth — and in recent years we added a miniature pony and a pot-bellied pig.

It’s not unusual for me to look up from working on the budget or something to find a pig and a pony standing there staring at me.

Now, the dog’s food, which we keep in a canister with a screw-on lid, sits on the top of the dog’s kennel.

The pony has learned to knock the canister off the top of the kennel, and then he and the pig wedge it into the corner.

There’s this ridge on the lid… Read More

Yesterday conservative GOP Assembly candidate Paul Hegyi emailed his supporters with the news that he would be suspending his campaign for the GOP nomination for the State Assembly in the Central Valley’s ___ Assembly District. Last year, Hegyi came in second to former San Jouquin County Supervisor Jack Sieglock, who went on to (barely, like by around 500 votes) lose to Democrat Alyson Huber, resulting in an unfortunate and unexpected Dem pickup in the Assembly. Last year Hegyi and Sieglock both announced that they would again be seeking the GOP nomination in AD __, setting the scene for a showdown this June — with the winner going up against Huber.… Read More

Yesterday featured a rash of surprising announcements about top Democrats, facing tough reelection prospects, ending their campaigns.

In Connecticut, embattled Senator Chris Dodd, chairman of the powerful Senate Banking Committee, indicated he would not seek reelection. Dodd faced several well-funded GOP candidates and trailed to all of them in head-to-head matchups. However, he will be replaced with Attorney General Richard Bloomenthal, the most popular politician in the state, dramatically improving Democrats chances of holding that seat.

In Colorado, Governor Doug Ritter, still in his first term and mired in poor approval ratings, decided to forgo reelection. Democrats will likely tap Denver Mayor John Lickenhooper, a moderate with strong name ID. Former Congressman Scott McInnis is the consensus Republican candidate and he’s expected to have a much tougher time with Lickenhooper than he would have with Ritter.

Michigan Lt. Governor John Cherry ended his bid to succeed Governor Jennifer Granholm after polls consistently showed him losing to any of the Republican candidates. Several Democrats are looking at the race but speculation centers on… Read More

George Radanovich’s retirement announcement has sent the Central Valley into a feeding frenzy on news of candidates looking to run to replace him. A solid Republican seat, all of the action for this one will be in the June primary.

So far I have heard from all of the campaigns of the major candidates. There are two potential candidates from the Fresno area, former Secretary of State Bill Jones, and former Fresno Mayor Jim Patterson. To the North, there are former Congressman Richard Pombo, and State Senator Jeff Denham. Truth be known, any of them would be a fine Member of Congress. Having four of them in the race will make it a real barnburner.

In this election, however, my sense is that old paradigms don’t matter. I don’t think fundraising is going to matter as much, and some of the issues that should really matter a lot won’t matter at all.

As everyone knows, the Central Valley here is the victim of a man made drought, fueled by outrageous Endangered Species laws, and the resulting unemployment is staggering. Hundreds of thousands of acres of fertile ag land remain fallow, threatening and endangering our… Read More